Profiling the oral language and psychosocial skills of young people attending Flexible Learning Programmes

While secondary school students attending flexible learning programmes have histories of poor engagement in schooling, little research has examined their oral language skills and psychosocial outcomes. We profiled oral language in students attending flexible learning programmes and explored associations between language and psychosocial outcomes (e.g. emotional problems, conduct problems, prosocial behaviour).

Ninety-seven students (12-18 years) completed a range of oral language assessments, and teachers reported on students' psychosocial outcomes. Latent profile analysis identified groups of young people with similar oral language abilities. A multivariate analysis of variance tested differences among language profiles on psychosocial outcomes.

Sixty-eight percent of the sample scored below the average range on language assessments. Fifty-eight percent scored in the high or very high range on the teacher-reported psychosocial difficulties. Two language profiles were identified ('higher language' n = 54, 'lower language' n = 43). Compared to students in the 'lower' profile, those in the 'higher' profile experienced significantly fewer conduct problems, less hyperactivity, and more prosocial behaviour.

We provide evidence for high rates of language disorder at flexible learning programmes and links with psychosocial outcomes, emphasising the need for speech-language pathology and mental health supports to foster academic engagement and positive wellbeing among students attending flexible learning programmes.